My Life in a Nutshell
by KT n Bobin
Summary: Alexandria Grunning has had a pretty messed up life. And with the help of living in two different worlds, an unexpected pregnancy, and a very special boy with green eyes and a scar, it's going to get even weirder. LotRHP crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** It seems kind of stupid to put a note telling you to read the author's note later in the chapter, but it's important, so don't skip it. For future reference, read ALL the author's notes, because they're ALL important. In EVERY story you EVER read. But that's about it.

**Disclaimer:** The only characters that belongs to us (so far) are Alexandria and Lorelei. And sort of Mr. and Mrs. Gruning. The name belongs to Ms. Rowling, but we kind of made up the characters. And the plot is ours. So don't take it. Everything else belongs to either Mr. Tolkein or Ms. Rowling. Thanks, enjoy!

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_**Chapter One**_

**"Alex!"** Dad called up the stairs.

"What, Dad?" I yelled back.

"Are you ready yet? We have to be there in three minutes!"

"Okay, Dad," I replied. I put on my brand-new suit. It was navy blue and, in my humble opinion, boring with a capital _B_! Mom and Dad bought it for me, so I really had no choice but to wear it. I put my hair in a bun and put my wand and a chopstick in the bun criss-crossing, like the Chinese women would do in old movies. I keep it there because you never know when you might need it. Being a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher does that to you, even if I quit two years ago to switch to flying instructor. I slipped on my black platforms. Not that I need them – I mean, I am 5' 8" without them.

"What's taking so long? Do you need help up there?" Mom called.

"Mom, I'm thirty-one years old, I am perfectly capable of dressing myself. I've been doing it for a few years now. Do you think that they would have hired me to be a teacher if I couldn't get myself dressed?"

I heard her sigh and call back, "Well, hurry up! We're already late!"

Honestly, I don't understand how she thinks that she can have a woman my age in the house and not be late because I'm taking too long to dress myself. It _is_ in my nature, after all, to take my time in making myself beautiful.

Kind of like my sister . . . yes, I do have a sister. No, she didn't die, and no, she isn't related to my parents. Or at least, she isn't related to the Grunnings.

And I know you're thinking to yourself, _She _is_ a Grunning. How can she have a sister that isn't related to her own parents?_ But that's where you're wrong.

See, I'm not really the child of Richard and Devona Grunning. I'm really not even human. No one else knows that. Wait, that was a lie – a few people know that. But one person who knows better than anyone is Severus Snape.

You're probably wondering who he is and why he's cool enough to know the nature of my condition. Let's just say we're . . . rather close.

Well when I was in Hogwarts all those years ago, in my fourth year when I was fifteen (my birthday is in September), I realized that the boy I had met in my first year that I had never really liked before had an odd sort of intrigue about him, something that caught my eye. I didn't know what it was – I still don't – but whatever it was, it drove me to some extremes that cost me a lot.

When Severus and I realized we liked each other it opened a whole new world – literally. We were so immersed in each other, so deeply in love that we didn't bother to think of the consequences of our actions.

One chilly December night he told me he had something to show me and snuck me up to the Slytherin Dormitory with him. He _did_ have something to show me, and we had a lot of fun with it. A little too much fun. A few days later, the strip turned pink. I was pregnant.

I couldn't believe it – fifteen and pregnant! Of all people for it to happen to! And he was only fourteen at the time, too!

I remember the smug look on James' face the day after we had had sex. He didn't know what we'd done, but I think he had a suspicion.

"Where were you three nights ago? You told us you'd meet us at the Dormitory but you never came," he asked, his eyes flashing dangerously behind his horn-rimmed glasses.

"I went for a walk," I had said quickly.

"All the way to the Slytherin Dormitory?" Sirius had said, raising one eyebrow.

My mouth fell open in horror. "How did you – you couldn't have –"

"The Marauder's Map never lies, my dear," Sirius said. "And you and Snape were rather close to each other in the Boy's Dormitory."

"I . . . I was just . . ."

"Alex, what were you doing in there?" Remus asked quietly.

I couldn't stand to look at any of them any longer. They had no idea about how I felt about Severus, but I had quite a good idea of how they felt about him. If you were to hear my description of him, you would think of your Prince Charming, riding up to you on his noble steed. If you were to hear the Marauder's description, you would instantly think of a sewer rat.

"Why do you care about my personal affairs? I was tutoring him, alright?" I screamed.

"In what, sex ed?" James said, pointing an accusing finger at my chest.

"No! Just . . . no! Go away, never talk to me again!" I exclaimed.

I dropped my books and ran straight from the Great Hall to the Gryffindor Common Room. I arrived there with my eyes as pink as the strip I had tested the night before to find Lily descending the steps to the Common Room.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"The strip is pink! The strip's pink, Lily!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around her and sobbing into her robes.

"Whoa, calm down, Alex. What is this about a strip being pink? . . . Wait a second. You don't mean . . ."

"Three nights ago, Lily. Three horrible, sleepless nights ago," I cried.

"Does he know yet?" Lily asked, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly. "Wait a second, who is he anyway?"

I sat up to face her, sniffing and wiping my nose with my robes. "I can't tell you. You'd be too ashamed of me. You'd hate me."

She laughed and said, "Well, as long as you didn't sleep with Snape, I'm okay."

My lower lip quivered and I turned myself away from her. I couldn't look her in the eye. "I told you you'd hate me," I whispered.

Her mouth fell open slightly as she said, "You didn't, Alex. You're joking." Still not facing her, she saw how horribly my shoulders were shaking. "You're . . . not joking."

I tried one more time to look at her. My hands were now shaking as hard as my shoulders. "I wish I was, but I'm not."

"I just don't get it. Why would you go and sleep with Snape" – I gave her a glare – "sorry, _Severus_. Why would you go and sleep with Severus when you know that he's pretty much our friends' idea of dirt on the bottom of their shoes?"

"Because he's not dirt on the bottom of their shoes! He's really a great guy! Who cares if his hair is greasy? Who cares if he spends hours every day locked in his dormitory experimenting on new potions? I'm changing him! I'm making him normal!"

Lily seemed to stare at me for a moment, as though contemplating the words she was saying. "Well, now that I think about it, I _have_ noticed that he seems to be showering more often."

"See? He's not such a bad guy!" I cried.

"But . . . I don't see the appeal. Ah, well – people didn't understand when I went out with Danny Johnson, but he was still a good boyfriend," she said quietly.

"You won't tell the guys, will you?" I asked, my voice quivering.

"I think they'll be able to tell when your belly starts getting bigger," Lily said. I could tell she was trying hard not to upset me.

"I suppose you're right." I wiped my nose on my sleeve again and sniffed slightly, adding, "Oh, God, what will the rest of the school think?"

Lily bit her lower lip and said, "I dunno, I just dunno."

"I'll have to leave the school once the year is done and never come back. I can't leave now – everyone will figure out why I left. But I can promise you one thing, Lily – I'm never going to come back. Ever."

I was only partly right. I did come back, but not for many, many years.

As the months wore on and as my belly grew steadily larger, my friends grew to accept the fact that I had something going on with Severus, Severus grew to accept the fact that he would become a father at fourteen, Lily grew to accept the fact that her best friend would become a mother before she was even married (although she also grew more supportive every day), and I grew to realize that it was no longer just my chest that was attracting attention from all the guys in the school – it was now my stomach more so than the former.

June 23rd, the last day of term, it happened.

No, _it _didn't happen. I was only pregnant for seven months at the time. Instead of a beautiful baby coming, _they_ came.

And believe me; I probably would have preferred having a beautiful baby instead of them.

They didn't even bother to come quietly. Instead, they just decided to barge into the Great Hall in the middle of Professor Dumbledore's farewell speech.

"And I say to you –"

"Excuse me!" a voice boomed throughout the hall. Everyone looked to the doors of the Great Hall, where three tall men with long hair and pointed ears stood in the doorway. One was clearly the leader – he had long blonde hair that fell to his shoulders and was pulled off his face in a fishnet braid, letting the rest hang loose. He was quite handsome. The other two followed behind him, dressed in traveling cloaks with leaf-shaped pins to hold it together.

"How may I be off assistance?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"We're looking for Alexandria Grunning, is she here?" the leading man asked.

I suddenly felt every eye in the entire Hall on me. My cheeks turned beet red, but I kept eye contact with the man with the blonde hair. Not that it was a hard thing to do – I could hardly keep my eyes off him at all.

"Alexandria?" Dumbledore said softly, nodding to me. I stood up, almost tripping over the bench where I was sitting. Lily put her arms out to catch me, but I managed to stand on my own. I was still not used to the immense weight I had gained in carrying my baby.

"I'm Alexandria, what do you want?" I asked rather bluntly.

"Your father wishes to speak to you."

Whispers traversed the room. I turned to the Slytherin table and caught Severus' eye. Fear was dancing behind their surface.

"Well, what does _he _want?" I queried, my voice booming over the torrents of hissing and chatter. "And why does he need a whole entourage to present himself?"

The man turned and whispered to one of his colleagues before walking towards me quickly, his feet light against the cold stone floors. I had said something wrong and I knew it, but what I didn't know was how I was going to pay for it.

The man stopped right in front of me. His voice in a low whisper, he managed, "It would be wise not to question us, but to come with us without a fight."

I looked back over to Severus. I wanted him to stand up and make a loud declaration, something heroic like, "I won't let you take her away from me!" But he didn't. He remained frozen in his seat.

"What does Dad want with me?" I asked severely.

The man looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my round belly, before saying harshly, "I do not believe that your idea of your father and my idea of your father are the same."

I gave him a sassy look out of the corner of my eye, as if to question his authority, but he simply took my arm and started dragging me out of the Great Hall.

"What are you doing?" I cried. I started hitting his arm to try and break free of his grasp. By now, the Hall was bubbling with whispers, gasps, _ooh_s and _ah_s.

"Please, Beriadanwen, come quietly. This is going to be a long and difficult day for all of us, and it would make it so much easier if you would just follow without question," the man said.

I ripped away from him and stood rooted to the spot. "No!" I shouted. "No, I'm not moving! This is my school! You can't just burst in here and tell me to leave without giving me an explanation as to what's going on!"

I looked to Professor Dumbledore to see if he would help me, but he simply shook his head slightly and said in a quiet voice, "You should go with him, Miss Grunning." His voice got even quieter as I saw him mouth, "I knew this day would come."

Tears were now welling up behind my eyes. I didn't want to go, but I knew I had to. If Dumbledore said I should go, then I should go.

I gave the Marauders one last look. Lily was crying silently, James was staring at me incredulously, Sirius was gaping with his mouth open (copied by Peter), and Remus gnawing on his lower lip. I let some of the tears fall as I reached over and gave Lily a hug.

"Thank you for everything, Lily," I whispered to her. I held her close to me and felt her shaking beneath me.

When I withdrew from her, I barely heard Remus ask, "When will you be coming back?"

"I don't know if I'll ever come back," I said inaudibly. My chin trembling, I turned back and follow the man who was wrenching me away from my friends.

"Alex!" I heard James call when I was almost at the door. I turned to see him running towards me.

He was silent for a moment, but then said in a voice barely above a whisper, "We forgive you."

I threw my arms around him, kissed his cheek softly, and whispered back, "I'm so glad."

"Come, Beriadanwen," the man said. He took my arm and pulled me away from James.

That was the last I ever saw of James Potter and Lily Evans.

As the man with the blonde hair closed the door the Great Hall behind him (his two cronies stood guard), I heard an outbreak of talk and Dumbledore's voice over it all calling, "As I was saying," in an attempt to draw everyone's attention away from me. It wasn't working, however. I knew that this would be the one event that everyone would still be talking about when they would come back the next summer.

"Who are you?" I demanded the second we left the Great Hall.

"Not here," the man said. "Don't you understand? You probably have all your little friends with their ears pressed against the doors, wanting to know what's going on, and I'm not about to give them that information."

That second, the doors burst open and Severus came galumphing through.

"See? There is one of them now," the man said smugly. He took my arm again and started bringing me to another room.

"Stop!" I heard Severus cry. "What are you doing with her?"

"She has to speak with her father, and then we're taking her where she really belongs."

"Oh, and where might that be?" Severus asked defiantly.

"None of your business," the man snapped, turning me away.

Severus reached out and grabbed my hand. "But you can't take her away!" he exclaimed.

"And why not?"

"Because I love her!"

The man smirked. His eyes darted between my stomach and Severus' hand in mine before he said, "So I suppose you are the cause of all this mess?"

"It's not a mess," Severus said sheepishly, his eyes downcast.

"Only a small catastrophe," the man said. "Now, say your good-byes, I have to take Alexandria. Now."

I kept staring at the man, straight in his eye. He kept staring back. "Well, what are you waiting for? Say good-bye!"

"I'm not going to do it with you watching me, you fag," I hissed. Reluctantly, the man turned away.

"Come on, Alex, let's go," Severus said, tugging at my hand. "We'll run away and go somewhere. I'll deliver your baby and we can raise it together. I know a lot of magic, I can find a job somewhere and we'll make a living for ourselves. Come on. Come with me."

"I can't go, Severus, don't you see? I have to go with this man. I don't know why, but I do."

"Since when have you obeyed authority? Otherwise you wouldn't have that belly," Severus snapped.

"Please don't do this to me. I'm dying just as much as you are. I'll come back someday, I promise!" I said.

"How can you promise me something you don't really think you'll be able to do?" he asked me, his eyes imploring.

"Oh come on, you know I'll be able to get away from these goons eventually. They can't keep me locked up forever. The question isn't simply _will _I be able to, it's _when_ will I be able to," I whispered.

Leaning into him, I gave him a long, slow kiss. It was nothing like the kisses I had felt three nights before the strip turned pink, but it was almost better, in a way. There was no lust. Only pure, unadulterated, innocent love.

Referring back to his defense earlier, I said, "I love you, too," before turning back to the pointy-eared man.

Silently, he guided me towards one of the few rooms the Guys and I had not yet explored in Hogwarts. It had a painting of a mountain troll in front of it, doing ballet.

"Wait here," he said sharply.

I stopped right where I was. The man walked back and forth three times, staring intently at the ground, then stopped right back in front of the painting. Instantly, when he opened the door, another man was standing there. He was also tall, with long, dark hair and the same distinctly pointy ears.

"Ah, Alexandria, my darling daughter!" the man said. He pulled me into a hug, finding it particularly difficult to hug me with my huge stomach.

"I'm sorry, sir," I said, pulling away from him, "you must be thinking of another Alexandria. You're definitely not Richard Grunning."

"No, I'm afraid I am not Richard Grunning. But I am Elrond, King of the Elves, and you are Beriadanwen Evenstar, my daughter," he said.

"What are you talking about? You're mad," I hissed.

"Am I?" the man who identified himself as Elrond asked. "Look at us, Beriadanwen. Come, stand by me. Legolas, would you kindly move that mirror over here, please?"

The first man with the blonde hair picked up a full-length mirror and moved it over toward the two of us. Subconsciously, I wondered why he didn't just use magic, but I didn't say anything aloud.

The second I looked at the two faces reflected in the mirror – one tear-streaked and frowning, the other half-smirking – I knew that they were almost exactly the same. We had the same long, narrow face and small, dark eyes.

"See the resemblance?" he said solemnly.

"But I can't be related to you. I'm a Grunning, not a . . . a _Heavenstar _or whatever you said!" I cried.

"_Evenstar_, my child," Elrond corrected. "If you are going to come take refuge with the Elves, then you should at least learn how to pronounce your own name."

"Take refuge with the elves? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"I'm your true father, Alexandria. You are the princess of the Elven race, and until you have your child, you will come and live with the Elves," Elrond stated. There was not a flicker of sympathy on his face, especially not as he said the word _child_. In fact, I thought that, if anything, I saw a flicker of anger.

"I can't come and live with you people!" I shouted. I turned to the door and placed a sound proofing charm on it before continuing. "I have a life here! I have friends! I have an amazing boyfriend –"

"Who got you pregnant after being with him for a few months!" Elrond interjected. "I'm sorry, Beriadanwen – I'm sorry, _Alexandria_ – but I have to take you back with me. Now come, we must pack your things and leave before the trains come – we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves."

_Boy, you failed at that one,_ I had thought that day as I trudged up the spiral staircase, tears freefalling down my face. Severus had gone back in to the Great Hall. I hadn't expected him to stay long – after all, he probably thought that it was Mr. Grunning who come for me and was just here to yell at me for a few minutes and then release me back into the Hall.

But he thought wrong.

The last thing I did before I left was write a long, gushy love note to Severus. After all, he deserved to know that he wouldn't see me again for a while. But I still didn't tell him about why I was leaving. In other words, he had no idea that I was the daughter of the King of the Elves and was being taken to another world where I would give birth to and raise my child.

Before coming back to the room with the painting of the troll (which the Marauder's Map told me was called the Room of Requirement), I used the Map to sneak into the Slytherin Dormitory and place the note on Severus' bed.

"Come, Beriadanwen, we must leave immediately," Legolas said to me, steering me by the shoulders.

"Why do you people keep calling me that?" I asked rudely. I really didn't care that I was rude, however – after all, it was quite rude of him and his guards to just come barging into the Great Hall and announce that my father needed to speak to me at once. "It's so queer; it's not even a normal name. I mean, it's like, _Berry-adam-when._ It's so queer."

"No, it's _bear-ee-ah-dahn-when_,and I call you that because it is your given name," he replied curtly.

"But it's not. My given name is Alexandria," I snapped.

"No, that name is the English translation of your Elven name. Your Elven name is your true name," the elf explained.

I ran my tongue over my top teeth in annoyance. "Well, I would prefer if you called me Alexandria."

Legolas sighed and said indignantly, "Alright, I shall call you Alexandria, but don't expect that from your father. He's already angry enough as it is about you having been away from him so long. I doubt he'll want to call you anything in English. I'm sure he'll make Arwen teach you Elvish, as well."

"Who's Arwen?"

"Your sister," he said.

"Oh, so not only do I have a father who is this big blown-up ruler, but I have a sister I have to share all this with?" I said snootily.

"She's your younger sister, don't worry about it," Legolas said. "And she's delicate as a flower. If you're anything like you're pretending to be right now (that is, strong-willed, aggressive, and used to getting your way), you'll be able to knock her out by blowing on her."

I gaped at him for a moment, then turned my face away in a huff.

So that's my sister – Arwen. And Legolas was right. I could knock her out by blowing on her if I really wanted to.

But anyway, back to the ending of a story.

"Come, Beriadanwen," Elrond said to me, gesturing towards the Forbidden Forest. To his surprise, instead of shrinking away from the forest in fear, I walked boldly into it.

Having Remus, who was a werewolf, as one of your best friends made it hard to fear a few acromantulas, especially when the moon wasn't even full.

As the trees began to block the light from the castle, I turned to give it one last look. It was so beautiful and full of life. I knew that most of the kids in there were either buzzing about their summer plans or buzzing about the strange men with the pointy ears who took Alexandria Grunning away, but not really caring what happened. Mostly, they were just excited to be going home the next day.

All except for the Marauders, Lily, and Severus. And me.

Because I wasn't going home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Okay, so we promised a chapter every two weeks. We lied. We're sorry. Forgive us and read the story. And you all probably gave up who started in the beginning, so we're at your feet, begging for forgiveness. As a result, we have two chapters to post today. Rejoice and beglad.

The other thing you should know is that we changed a small but rather important detail - we originally had Alexandria as the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, but we changed our minds - those teachers were too important to get rid of. So we changed her position to the flying instructor, since Madam Hooch doesn't really play that huge of a role in the books. So forgive us. Again. We're changing it in chapter one too but we figured no one would actually go back and re-read chapter one, so we ought to let you know. Thanks for bearing with us!

**Disclaimer:** Oh, you know the jist.

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_**Chapter Two**_

"Come on, Alex," Mr. Grunning hissed. "Get your sorry little ass down here right now!"

"I'm coming, Dad, Jesus!" I called, adding the finishing touches to my sophisticated look as I ran down the stairs.

"God, what is it with women and taking forever to get ready around here?" he said in an aggravated voice.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I can't really help it. You don't want me to look like a slob, do you? It would give the family a bad name," I said sweetly.

"Whatever, just get in the car," he snapped. He usually wasn't this moody, but this particular client rather annoyed him, and he had been dreading the dinner party from the moment it was planned.

"Lori, you too! Just because you're the teenager here doesn't mean that you can get away with taking hours!" Severus said, mimicking Mr. Grunning's snippy manner. Sometimes I thought he only agreed with the man so that he would forgive him for getting me pregnant so young.

We drove in silence in the car for about half an hour, Severus squeezed next to me, Lori on my other side. The only sounds to be heard were the raindrops pattering against the car and the whizzing of the engine. I realized that we would be incredibly late all because of me, but I really didn't care. I hated these stupid dinner parties. Everyone was sucking up to my parents and not paying any attention to me whatsoever. Not that I wanted all the attention, it just would have been nice to at least be offered a cup of tea instead of having to get it myself.

This time, however, I was going to be getting more attention than ever before.

We arrived at the house at seven o'clock. Upon ringing the doorbell, a rather disgruntled-looking woman answered the door. She was thin and bony with dark hair and pursed lips. The second she laid eyes on my father, however, they curled into a smile which I'm sure she thought was warm and inviting, but reminded me more of Lucius Malfoy.

"Mr. Grunning! How very nice to see you, please, come in!" she cried exuberantly, ushering us all in the door. "And Mrs. Grunning! Pleased to meet you!"

"It was very kind of you to invite us into your home for dinner, Petunia," Mom said kindly.

"Oh, think nothing of it! Vernon and I are absolutely thrilled to have you dine with us."

Within seconds, a fat mass came waddling in the foyer.

"This is our son, Dudley."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Grunning. May I take your coats?"

"Why, thank you, dear," Mom said. She turned to give me a look of disgust as she handed over her coat. I almost laughed out loud but stopped myself before I did anything that would embarrass my parents.

Mom took the liberty of introducing me, since somehow she knew that we wouldn't be noticed otherwise. "This is my daughter, Alexandria, her husband Severus, and their daughter, Lorelei."

Mrs. Dursley looked me up and down quickly. A slightly disgusted look crossed her face, but it was instantly replaced by a bittersweet smile as she said, "Delighted to meet you." I had gotten this many times before. My daughter, who was sixteen years old, and me being 31 made a lot of people look twice. Mrs. Dursley didn't seem the type of person to approve of such young parents for such an old daughter.

It was then that I heard a loud _thump_ come from upstairs. I looked above me, expecting something to come crashing through the ceiling, but nothing came. I seemed to be the only one who noticed, however, because Mrs. Dursley was busily seating my parents and her abominable son down at the table, and the man whom I can only assume was Mr. Dursley came in moments later.

"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Dursley, where is your bathroom?"

"Down the hall and to the left, dear," Mrs. Dursley said. I don't think she even recognized that there was a young woman left standing in the foyer. I figured that since (once again) no one was noticing me, I would be safe in investigating the noise upstairs.

"Honey, where are you going?" Severus asked, touching my arm.

"I heard something upstairs. Don't worry, I'll be back in a second."

I turned and snuck quietly up the staircase, plucked my wand from my hair, and listened again for another noise. No sound came from any of the doors. They were all open but one – it was shut tight and had a small flap that looked like it was for an animal of some kind.

The noise could have been made by a cat. But I sincerely doubted it.

Getting a firmer grip on my wand, I said, _"Alohomora,"_ as quietly as I could. My voice must have caught someone's attention, because at the click of the lock, I heard a small gasp.

Wrenching open the door, I found a boy who looked to be about twelve years old. He was small and skinny with dark hair and startlingly green eyes framed by horn-rimmed glasses. A small, lightning-bolt shaped scar a little off-center on his forehead was a dead giveaway.

"Hello, Harry," I said.

"Professor Evenstar? What are you doing here?" cried Harry Potter, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"I'm supposed to be having dinner with your aunt and uncle, but (no offense, of course), they were a little clueless. Either that or they recognized the fact that I had a wand and decided to stay far away from me," I said, smiling as well.

I strode about the room. It was quite small, with only a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. It wasn't anything like I would expect from a twelve-year-old boy. In fact, there was a single pennant on the wall, and a small calendar with the words "one month until Hogwarts!" written in large letters on August the first. Clothes were strewn about the floor. It reminded me a lot of my room in that aspect.

"So, this is your humble abode, huh?" I asked cautiously.

"Sorry you have to see it like this, I haven't really been taking much care of it," he said sheepishly. "And me, too, I'm a bit of a mess as well. I've been stuck in this room for a few days so I'm not looking (or smelling) my best."

"Eh, it's alright, my room isn't exactly super-neat, either. You haven't even seen my office at Hogwarts. I can barely get around."

Harry laughed, but then clapped his hands to his mouth in horror. "Someone will have heard that," he whispered.

"Let them come, who really cares?" I said nonchalantly.

"No, you don't get it, Professor, Uncle Vernon is going to kill me when he finds out – wait a minute, why are you here with the Grunnings?"

"It's a long and complicated story, and I'm sure the details will gross you out, but in short, they're not really my parents, but I was raised with them," I said sharply.

Still looking confused, Harry shook his head to clear his mind and said, "You better get back downstairs before –"

"Harry, you little kitty, stop making all that noise! We already fed you today!" Mrs. Dursley's voice came up the stairs.

"You should go," Harry said gloomily. "If you don't I may not be able to go back to Hogwarts."

"Not go back to Hogwarts? What are you talking about?" I questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"Who's not going back to Hogwarts?" asked a voice from the doorway. I turned to see Lorelei standing there.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked.

"Same thing you are," she said simply, entering the room. "Hi, Harry."

Harry was too stunned to speak. He stared at Lorelei as though she were something that had just fallen from heaven.His cheeks flushed bright red and he looked away, murmuring a quiet, "Hi."

"So anyway, as you were saying, Harry?" I said, breaking his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, right. Not going back to Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia don't really like the fact that I'm a wizard. I think they're trying to squash the magic out of me. Here, sit down," Harry said, pulling out the chair from his desk.

I took a step towards the chair, but I stepped on one of his shirts. Because I was moving so quickly, the shirt slid from beneath my feet on the wooden floor and I landed on my butt, making another huge _thump_ that I'm sure they all heard downstairs.

Harry, Lori, and I sat in horrified silence for a few moments, listening to the murmurings coming from downstairs, then burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"I think I'll go check on our cat, Harry. He's been acting very odd lately."

"I do believe I should accompany you. I haven't seen Alexandria in a while; I hope it's not her making all that racket."

Harry chuckled at the horror in Mrs. Dursley's voice as he tried to prevent my mother from coming up the stairs. "No, um, Devona, it's quite alright . . ."

But it was too late – Mom was standing in the open doorway, staring at me flat on my butt, Lorelei laughing at her poor mother, and Harry sitting on his bed.

"Alex, what on Earth are you doing up here?" she asked. Standing beside her were Mrs. Dursley and Severus. I looked over at Harry, whose eyes were wide. He took off his glasses, cleaned them with his shirt, then put them back on again.

"Professor Snape?" he asked incredulously.

"Potter," said Severus, nodding curtly.

"This is Harry Potter, Mum. He's one of my students at Hogwarts," I said calmly. Mom walked in the room. Harry shakily held out his hand and shook hers, muttering a quiet, "How do you do?"

"Is this the cat you were referring to?" asked my mom as Mr. Dursley came hobbling up the stairs. His mouth fell open in utter dread.

"I thought you were going to the bathroom," he hissed at me through clenched teeth.

Harry leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Be careful. When he turns purple, there's no stopping him."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dursley, I heard a noise upstairs and I wanted to make sure everyone was alright," I said innocently.

Harry closed his eyes as though bracing himself for the kill, but to his immense surprise, Mr. Dursley unclenched his fists and (though he was still shaking) said, "It's alright. Why don't you come downstairs and join us now?"

"Only if Harry can join us," I said sternly.

Harry's eyes widened and he leaned over again and said, "Are you crazy? You'll be stuck up here with me all night."

But once again, Mr. Dursley surprised Harry by saying, "No, it's alright, Harry can come too."

We waited until both Mr. Dursley and my mother had gone downstairs before leaving the room.

"I can only think of one reason that Uncle Vernon is letting me eat dinner with you guys, and that's that he doesn't want to make your Dad think he's an abusive guy or something like that," he said.

"Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?" I asked as everyone else left. Severus, Harry and I were the only ones that remained.

"Wait, Professor, before we go, why is Professor Snape here? And Lorelei?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I'll give you the censored version of the story. First of all, Lorelei . . . is my daughter."

"How is that possible? She's sixteen and you're . . . what, twenty-nine?"

"Trust me, Potter, it's possible," Severus said.

"And isn't she your daughter . . . ?" Harry continued, pointing at him. A look of dawning comprehension came over him, followed by one of disgust. "Ew."

"I told you the details would gross you out, Harry. Being inquisitive is usually a good thing, but can often get you into a lod of trouble," I said, feeling wise beyond my years.

"Apparently so," the boy said. He looked like he was going to retch on the floor.

"But, and this is very important, Harry, you _cannot tell a soul_. I'm - we're - trusting you with this. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said dutifully. I scanned his eyes for any flicker of a lie, but they were full of honesty.

"Good. Now, have you been practicing your flying?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Auth****ors' Note: **See, here's chapter three, right after chapter two, like we promised! Would we ever lie to you? Besides the whole a-new-chapter-every-two-weeks thing.

* * *

_**Chapter Three**_

**To fully understand** the way my life worked, you would have to know what happened after I left Hogwarts.

I arrived in this strange new world that, apparently, I had been born into but didn't remember. It was really beautiful there, full of trees with sprouting leaves and people like my father and Legolas with long hair and pointed ears. I had never seen an Elven woman before that I could remember, but they were even more beautiful than the men were. Their faces were soft and pale, and they let their hair flow in the gentle breeze.

One thing I loved about the new place was their fashion sense. All of them wore clothes of lightweight material that were similar to robes, usually in light colors. The women's clothes were usually flowing dresses that you only saw in fairy tale books. The men wore darker colors, like Earthen browns and greens, but sometimes wore white, as well.

And then, there was Arwen.

She was absolutely gorgeous. You could pretty much say that she was the definition of beauty. Her hair was long and black, her lips full and red, her complexion pale. She had a gentleness about her that made me like her the second I saw her, even though she hadn't actually done anything gentle as of yet.

"Ah, Arwen, my darling!" Elrond cried, opening his arms to his daughter.

"Hello, father. What has taken you so long?" she asked cautiously.

"We had a little bit of . . . trouble," he said simply, gesturing to me. Arwen's eyes widened at the sight of me in my Hogwarts robes, wand in hand.

"Are you Beri?" she questioned softly.

"I think so," I said. Turning to Legolas, I said, "That means Alexandria, right?"

He nodded slightly. "It's a nickname for Alexandria."

"She doesn't know any Elvish at all?" Arwen asked Elrond in horror.

"No, she hasn't been in Middle Earth at all since she was one. She hadn't learned to speak at that time, so she was raised to know English," Elrond said, shaking his head slightly and looking at the ground, as though horribly ashamed of me. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

"Stop fidgeting," Legolas reprimanded softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. I stopped.

"What's it like in the other world?" Arwen asked me, awe dancing behind her eyes.

"Uh . . ." I murmured. "Well, uh, people dress like I do – well, the muggles don't dress like this, they usually just wear jeans and a t-shirt –"

"What is a t-shirt?" she asked. Rolling my eyes, I took off my robes to reveal my normal clothes – a pair of dark jeans and a baby blue tee. In the middle of the tee was a circle with a picture of one of the seven dwarves from Disney's film _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ holding an axe. The text above and below the picture read _Baby under construction._

Pointing to the shirt, I said, "This is a t-shirt."

Arwen's eyes widened even farther as she said, "You wear dwarves as clothing?"

I realized that I had been pointing directly to the dwarf. "No, no, we don't wear dwarves, we wear t-shirts! The whole thing is a t-shirt," I said, gesturing to the whole shirt.

"Oh! I understand," she said. "But why does it say _Baby under construction_?"

I exchanged a furtive glance with Legolas, whose face hardened. He shook his head ever so slightly, telling me silently not to say a word and let Elrond handle the situation.

"Er, well, that's the second part of the surprise," Elrond said slowly. "Arwen, er, this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but . . . you're going to be . . . an Aunt."

"An . . . Aunt?" Arwen asked. Suddenly, her eyes lingered on my belly. "So that's the reason for . . . ." She gestured at it again, as though it were some horrible, hideous thing that had popped out of thin air.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" I asked, resuming the obnoxious manner to which Elrond and Legolas had quickly become accustomed.

There was that awkward silence where no one knew what to say, especially me. I just sat there, looking around at all of them with a smirk on my face. I could tell that this was the kind of family where having sex before marriage was utterly unspeakable. And yet, there I was, entering their family, seven months pregnant.

"Well," Elrond said gingerly. "Welcome to our family, Beriadanwen."

"Wait a second," I said. "Does that mean that _he's_ my brother?" I asked, jabbing a finger at Legolas.

"Legolas? No, no, of course not! He volunteered to come along and get you," my new father said. "No, your only sibling is Arwen."

I uttered a quiet, "Thank God," under my breath, but I think Legolas must have heard me, because his grip on my shoulder tightened slightly.

"Now, there are many things we need to get done before your . . . _child_ . . . arrives," Elrond said brusquely.

"Dude, we have two months," I snapped.

Elrond took a deep breath and walked over to Legolas. I heard him mutter in his ear, "Please take Arwen away, I can tell that this may get difficult and I don't want to upset her."

Legolas nodded solemnly and went over to Arwen, who was watching quietly.

"Come, Arwen, why don't you show me the garden?" he said. She gave him a look, but followed obediently.

Once she had left, Elrond turned to me sharply. "Beriadanwen, I know you have been raised in a different world, and I know that we just met, but you still need to show me the respect you showed your Earth father."

"Why should I? You guys have been treating me like crap since the second I fell in your line of sight. You completely humiliated me, tore me from my friends, rejected my boyfriend, and made a fool of me in front of my new sister! I don't want to be here, in case you didn't notice, so the _least_ you could do would be to lighten up a bit!"

"This is unacceptable, Beriadanwen, I don't think you understand! A princess of your age should not be expecting a child in two months!"

"Well, I'm sorry, if I knew I was – wait a second, did you just say _princess_?" I cried.

"Yes, I did just call you a princess. I am King of the Elves, and seeing as you are my daughter, that would make you the princess," he explained, one eye twitching with annoyance.

"So does that mean that one day, I'll have to _rule_ this place?" I shouted, spinning in circles to indicate the entire area of land surrounding me.

"Eventually, yes," Elrond said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Elrond gasped in surprise and clapped his hand to his mouth. "Where did you learn this foul language?"

"You mean it's considered foul here, too? God, I thought I could get away with it here . . ."

"That's it, Beriadanwen, go to your room!"

I raised one eyebrow and asked, "And my room would be . . . where?"

Now furious, Elrond tried to calm himself by breathing a deep sigh, but it only made him more angry, for one reason or another. Without a word, he started walking. He didn't motion to me or anything, but I was smart enough to know to follow him.

The whole escapade reminded me a lot of the song _Family Portrait_ by Pink. Suddenly, I wished for my beautiful pink iPod that Richard Grunning had given me for my birthday before my fourth year at Hogwarts.

Eventually, after much walking, we finally arrived at a room with a tall, wooden door. Engravings were written arching along the top in a language I can only assume was Elvish. I saw Elrond glance up at the text, a tear trickling down his face.

"This is your bedroom," he whispered. "Your wardrobe is over there, you may put your clothes in there if you wish, but you will be expected to wear Elven clothes whenever you appear to us in public."

As his final words, he muttered "_Aníron ceni hin lîn síla i 'eladhach_," before leaving me completely.

- - -

I was unpacking all of my clothes into the wardrobe when I heard the knock on my door.

"Come in," I called. I really didn't care who it was. I knew that they would keep knocking until I let them in anyway.

"It is Legolas, Alexandria," a voice called to me.

"I already told you, come in."

Quietly, Legolas slipped into the room. "We will be serving dinner in about fifteen minutes. Your father requests that you put on one of the outfits we've provided for you."

"Where are they?" I asked, completely ignoring the words _your father_.

"In the bottom drawer of the wardrobe. Shoes are under your bed," he said before turning to leave.

"Wait a second, Legolas," I said.

"Yes, milady?" He bowed to me.

"Don't bow to me, it makes me uncomfortable," I said, "but that's not what I wanted to ask of you."

"What is it that you wanted?" he asked.

I sighed and questioned quietly, "What do those words mean at the top of my door?"

"_Aníron ceni hin lîn síla i 'eladhach_," he said.

"Yeah, Elrond already said it to me in Elvish, but I don't know what it means in English."

"It means, _I wish to see your eyes shine when you laugh._"

I froze for a second. Something hard hit me when he told me the translation, as though someone had punched me in the stomach. Elrond had actually missed me as a child. He wasn't just doing this because it was his duty and his grandchild was about to be born, he was doing this because he loved me.

"Th-thank you, Legolas," I said quietly.

There was no response, only a few footsteps. I felt him hovering over me for a moment before he asked, "Are you alright, milady?"

"Y-yes, I'm f-f-fine. Don't worry ab-bout it," I said. I gave him a weak smile. He didn't look convinced.

"I'll be waiting outside the door to escort you to the dining hall when you are ready," Legolas said quietly before closing it behind him.

I quickly picked out the prettiest dress I could find, slipped on my shoes, and hurried to dinner.

We were the first ones there. Legolas had me sit in my seat and then walked out.

The long, wooden table was set for four people – Elrond, Arwen, my mother, and myself. I was yet to meet my mother. I could only assume that she was as beautiful and delicate as Arwen, but also kind and gentle in the same way. I was suddenly afraid. My father was one thing. I hadn't been afraid of his impression of me, perhaps because when I first met him, I had no idea who he was. My mother, on the other hand, was my mother. I wanted to make a good first impression. Suddenly, I felt myself wishing that my belly was just a little bit less noticeable.

After a few minutes, Elrond walked in. He stopped at the door upon laying his eyes on me.

"You're early," he remarked in surprise.

"Yes," I said, not quite sure of what to say in response to this.

Elrond sat down at the head of the table, a small smile growing on his face. I was glad to be making him happier.

"Beriadanwen, I wanted to apologize to you for being so rude when I picked you up earlier this evening. I should have done something different, something that would draw less attention. And I also should have given your friend – what was his name, Legolas told me, _Severey_? – a little more respect as well. I know you two are rather close and I should have at least given him an explanation of what was going on," he said.

"His name is Severus, but thank you for your apology. I should apologize too, however. You were right. I had the right to be mad at you, but I didn't have the right to disrespect your people, your land, and you yourself. I'm sorry."

Elrond's smile grew. "Apology accepted," he said.

That second, Arwen danced into the room, twirling and spinning around in utter delight. "Father, may we set an extra place at the table? Preferably next to _Alex_?"

"Why is that, my child?"

"Don't ask, just do," Arwen said, giggling playfully.

I raised my eyebrows as she sat down across from me, grinning broadly.

We waited to eat before the last seat was filled and the new seat was placed. A few minutes later, Legolas walked calmly into the room. I assumed that he would be guarding the door, but instead, he took the seat that was supposed to be for my mother.

"Excuse me, but isn't my mother going to sit there?" I asked.

Everyone in the room tensed. I looked from each face to the next, wondering what I had said wrong.

"Well, there's another little bit I haven't told you yet," Elrond said.

My mouth dropped open in horror. "_You're_ my mother!" I cried, pointing to Legolas.

"Me? Don't be ridiculous, of course not!" he exclaimed.

"Your mother isn't here anymore, Beriadanwen, she lives in Valinor."

"So . . . you're divorced?" I asked.

"No, we're not divorced. She got hurt, so she lives in Valinor amongst other Elves."

Then, at the most tense moment in the dinner (so far), the door burst open.

Things were about to get even more tense.

"Sevi!" I screamed. I jumped out of my seat and ran to him, throwing my arms around him.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Why aren't you going home? Oh my God, I can't believe you're here!"

Behind me, I heard Arwen giggling.

"I followed the tall guys with the pointy ears after you left. I got your note, and there was no way I was going to just let you leave without seeing me again," he whispered.

"But how did they not see you? How come no one noticed that you didn't get on the Hogwarts express?"

"I flew, coming down from the clouds every so often to check on where you guys were," he said simply.

I pulled back from him. He was smiling brighter than he ever had before, his eyes wide in amazement.

"You look . . . wow," he said, surveying my new Elven attire.

"Why, thank you. You look . . ." I looked at him. He was covered in dirt, but he was still a wonderful site to see. "You look tired," I finished.

"Yeah, I'm wiped."

"Come have dinner with us!" I invited without thinking. Suddenly, my brains kicked in. I looked to my father. He stared at the two of us for a minute, Severus' arms around my waist, before jerking his head up and down in a motion that I can only assume meant yes.

I deliberately took the long way around so I could walk by Arwen. "Thank you!" I whispered excitedly in her ear.

She giggled some more and said, "You're welcome."

"So, Severus, this is my sister Arwen, my father Elrond, and Legolas. He's like a bodyguard," I explained. "And this is your chair, and this is mine."

He sat down gingerly next to me. I sat down, as well.

And the two of us began to get to know my family, and what would hopefully become his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hey, it's your favorite authors again! We definitely thought we posted this chapter, sorry...We have an important note later in the chapter, so DON'T FORGET TO READ IT.

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill.

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

**Over the next** two months, Elrond, Legolas, Severus, and Arwen (a little) helped to get me situated before the baby came along. Sevi, of course, was just as clueless as to where everything was as I was, so he wasn't of much help, but he did what he could.

Elrond hastily threw together a bedroom for Sevi, not wanting the two of us to have to share. Every night, however, Severus would mess up the sheets and pillows in his bedroom to make it look like he had just walked out of bed and came into my room. We would often stay up all night, just enjoying each other's company and thanking God that Sevi was able to make it here.

"I wouldn't have my baby delivered without me there to tell you it was okay," he said to me one night.

"Aw, Sevi, you're amazing," I said, throwing my arms around him. And we just sat there and hugged each other, and although the circumstances kind of sucked, I had never been so happy in my whole life to be holding someone so wonderful as him.

Elrond and I began growing closer each day. Although I still wasn't exactly happy about being thrown into another world that I didn't know at all, he was trying hard to make it an easy transition. As Legolas had predicted, he had Arwen teach me Elvish so that I could interact with the residents. She had already taught me to read, write, and say my name, "hello" (_mára aurë_), "how are you?" (_manen nalyë?_) "do you understand me?" (_heniach nin?_), "from what land do you come?" (_O man dôr túliel le?_), and "goodbye" (_mára mesta_), among other things. I found it extremely easy to learn.

"That is because you _are_ Elven. Technically, this is your native tongue, and the language flows in your blood. For the first year of your life, you heard these words being spoken all the time," Arwen explained one day. I felt sort of stupid, being taught by my younger sister, who giggled at the idea of me having a boyfriend, not to mention having had sex with him.

And in the night time, when Severus would come and see me, I would teach him some things to say in Elvish.

"Repeat after me," I commanded softly. "_Le no an-uir nîn?_"

"Lay no ahn-oo-ear neen?" he said in broken Elvish.

"Good, excellent," I said, half-lying. He was still having trouble mastering the accent, but that was understandable, because he wasn't Elven himself.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

I had hoped he would ask that question. I replied softly, "It means, 'will you be mine forever?' "

"How do I say 'yes'?" Sevi questioned.

I smiled. "_Tancave_," I said, pronouncing the words like _than-kah-vay_.

He smiled back. "Well, in that case, _tancave_."

I kissed him softly and murmured, "_Le mellon, rochben nîn_."

He didn't bother to ask what I was saying. I think he figured it out by the look in my eyes.

- - -

"Beri, I have a question for you," Arwen asked me one day.

"Ask me anything," I said absent-mindedly.

"It's going to sound kind of suspicious and weird," she continued.

"That's alright. Believe me, with this life I'm living, nothing is out of the ordinary," I said.

Arwen took a deep breath and asked, "You and Naracion had to, you know, _do it_ to get pregnant, right?"

This was going nowhere fast. Why did she want to know about Severus' and my experience with sex? I straightened up slightly and said, "Well, yes, why?"

"I was just, you know, wondering . . . I kind of wanted to know, out of pure curiosity . . . what's it like?"

This was definitely one of those hand-hits-forehead moments, but I was afraid to upset my little sister. "Well, you're right, that is sort of an odd question," I murmured.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Arwen said hurriedly.

"No, no, it's alright, you asked, and you don't really have anyone else to ask," I said, defeated. I sighed.

"Well, basically, it's one of those indescribable things that everyone wants to know what it's like without having to do it, but you kind of have to in order to know what I mean," I began. "It's absolutely amazing, the most powerful thing you'll ever feel . . . that is, unless you don't really love the person. But I know I love Naracion more than I've ever loved anything or anyone in my whole entire life."

"So you really can't tell me anything?" she asked, a frown growing on her face.

"Nothing that will mean anything to you," I said, shrugging.

This time, Arwen was the one to sigh. "You're so lucky," she said. "I wish I had someone like Naracion who would always be there to take care of me."

"Aw, is that what's bothering you? Is that why you're curious to know what it's like?" I asked, sitting down next to her and putting my arm around her shoulders. She nodded quietly.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about things like that. You're beautiful, smart, talented, and not to mention a princess. There is no way on Earth – or in Middle Earth, for that matter – that you won't find a guy. You're still young. Enjoy youth while you can."

Arwen smiled a little. "You sound like mother used to."

"I guess I'll have to be a little of both – a mother and a sister," I replied, hugging her softly.

And in that moment I resolved to do everything I could to get her an amazing boyfriend who would hopefully turn into an amazing husband.

- - -

All day, Severus had been acting kind of strange. He was extremely happy and fidgety, and I had no idea what was going on. I seemed to be the only one out of the loop, the only one who noticed this odd behavior.

"Is there any particular reason that Sevi's so upbeat today? Did you see him do anything particularly joyful that would make him act this way?" I asked Arwen, my official confidante.

Arwen shrugged. "I didn't see anything."

"Adele," I said sternly, using the English translation of her Elven name.

"Don't call me that!" she whined, stalking away.

I got the same response from Legolas and Elrond as well. And when I confronted Severus about it, he simply brushed it away.

"Happy birthday, love," he said, sweeping me into his arms.

"Thanks, but you seem to be more excited today than I am. Any particular reason?" I asked.

"It's just because our baby is going to be born any day now. I can't believe I'm going to be a father. It's incomprehensible. That's all it is, I promise."

"Yeah, I guess you're right . . . holy shit, we need to pick out a name!"

Severus pondered for a moment, then said, "I kind of like Lorelei."

I sighed as he put his arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder. "Yes, I like Lorelei too."

"And for her middle name, she can take the name of her beautiful mother," he whispered.

I smiled. "Lorelei Alexandria. I like it," I said. "If I remember correctly, Lorelei means _alluruing enchantress_."

"Ah, perfect for our daughter," Severus said.

"But what about if it's a boy?" I asked, suddenly finding myself praying for a girl. I wouldn't mind having my child share my name.

"Well then, he can be Lawrence Alexander. About as close as you can get to our original name," he said.

"Oh, aren't you clever," I crooned, kissing his head. "I can't wait for this baby to come."

He rubbed my stomach affectionately. "Me neither, _meleth nîn_," he said, showing off his Elvish. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get the food and stuff for the picnic."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

- - -

_Note: the following cake idea was not actually our idea – it was the idea of one of our friends, Kristen C., whom we love very much. So Kristen darling if you read this, this one's going out to you._

That afternoon, Arwen, Elrond, Severus, and I went to a large, grassy field filled with beautiful flowers that didn't grow on Earth. The breeze was light enough to dance playfully on the hem of my dress. Severus held my hand and helped me through the grass without toppling over, and Arwen stood on my other side to catch me if I fell. I felt sort of ridiculous, having everyone half carry me to the picnic spot, but somehow I would feel even more ridiculous if I actually did fall.

We finally found a spot under the shade of a willow tree where we laid out a blanket and sat down. Happy that I was somewhere that the Ministry couldn't punish me for doing magic underage, I called, "_Accio picnic food!_" and everything the cooks had prepared for us came zooming to our blanket. Arwen screamed and ducked for cover. I simply sat there and laughed.

The lunch was quite good. I had noticed that the cooks had taken a special interest in my favorite Earthen foods, so they had specially prepared some of them as a birthday gift. My mouth positively watered when I saw the fried chicken.

And then . . . the cake.

It was a huge, three-layer chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting, complete with candy roses. One piece was already cut out, showing the inside with the frosting between the layers. It looked like something off a box of cake mix you'd buy at the supermarket.

"Happy birthday!" they all chorused as Severus handed me the plate with the piece already cut out.

"Oh, this is beautiful!" I cried.

"Wait until she sees what's inside," I heard Arwen whisper. Severus leaned over and smacked her arm with the back of his hand.

"Why, what's inside?" I asked quietly.

Severus' frown faded. He picked up the cake with his hands and said, "Take a bite and see for yourself."

I was slightly wary as I opened my mouth, but even more so when I saw a glint of something shiny.

"What – is something glittering in my cake?"

Elrond and Arwen passed each other looks. Severus simply stood there and smiled at me. He took my hand and stuck my ring finger into the piece of cake. I felt something around my skin. When he pulled my finger out, beneath some cake batter was a golden band inset with a single diamond.

"I know we're really young – I mean, you're just turning fifteen today – but if I'm going to be this baby's father, I want to be the most dedicated father I can. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life. You're such an amazing person. I don't know how I ever lived without you."

My mouth was hanging open in shock. I couldn't believe I was fifteen and being proposed to. But at the same time, there was only one word I wanted to say.

Severus got down on one knee and asked boldly, "Alexandria Brooke Evenstar, will you marry me?"

I threw my arms around him and cried, "Yes!"

And through the tears in my eyes I could see that my father was nodding back at me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**Guess who! Sorry this one's kinda short, but we figured it was a good way to end the chapter or whatever...maybe more later today but I doubt it.

**Disclaimer:** (insert usual disclaimer here)

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

**I can't possibly** imagine how odd it must have been for my daughter to go to school and find her mother and her father there as her teachers. Especially since the latter was pretty much loathed by everyone but the Slytherins.

Not that she wasn't used to it by now – both Severus and I had been teaching at Hogwarts for ten years, and four years of that time, our daughter was a student there. Now entering her fifth year, I always wondered whether or not she was horribly embarrassed by us or if people even knew that we were her parents. And during the five years before she was old enough to go to school, she was raised in Hogwarts, tended to by the House Elves, often visiting Professor Dumbledore in his office and playing with his many gizmos that she had come to think of as toys.

Now, Lorelei Alexandria Snape, who was fifteen years old, had taken after her mother in looks and cup size and therefore was the main attention of most of the males in the school. However, since everyone knew that she was the daughter of Severus Snape, no one dared go near her.

Not to mention that they had no idea who her mother was.

Lorelei was a Gryffindor, which caused a lot of uproar in her first year. You could imagine the whispers that traversed the room when the daughter of Severus Snape was sorted into Gryffindor.

I, on the other hand, wasn't particularly surprised she was in Gryffindor. She never really displayed the whole sly-and-cunning thing – she was definitely more of a brave soul. When she was four years old, when we were still living in Rivendell, she had run away on an adventure for a day. We had found her in an open field, brandishing a long stick and shouting cries of "Die, orc, die!" to an invisible opponent.

This year wasn't any different from the rest; the three of us packing up everything we'd need, Severus and I sharing a trunk, Lori with a bag of her own. We sat in the professors' coach, Lori with her friends. She barely acknowledged us.

The second I walked into the school, the first person I saw was Hermione, the girl who always tagging along with Harry and his other friend, Ron. She was alone this time, however, until two red-haired twins came up next to her, whom I knew were Ron's brothers.

"Hiya, Hermione," said one. I still couldn't tell them apart very well, so I consented to calling them Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley in my class.

"Hello, Fred," said Hermione.

"Did you see my brother and Harry around anywhere?" the other twin, George, asked.

"No, I haven't seen them at all. In fact, I'm quite worried," she said breathlessly.

"I'm sure Ron just got lost or something stupid like that and never found you on the train," said Fred. "He's always doing stuff like that."

"Yes, that would be a very Ronald-like thing to do," Hermione mused.

"Well, I suppose we best be going – want to get good seats so we can taunt the first-years like we did to you guys. Remember how scared Ron looked when he was coming in? That was my doing – I told him you had to wrestle a troll to get sorted," George said proudly.

"See you," said Hermione.

"Come on, Lori," called Fred.

"Coming!" called back a voice I knew all too well. When she walked by me, however, she didn't even look at me. That always kind of stung, but I could understand why – after all, I knew what it was like to have your parents come bursting in the Great Hall and humiliate you. Although, that was slightly different – at the time that it happened to me, I didn't know that Elrond was my Dad.

Severus and I gave each other a final look before he took of, pushing through the flow of students to get to the front of the Great Hall. We always had to go through this routine – I had to wait until he had already gotten about half way down the hall before going down myself. This was, of course, for Lori's benefit. Sevi and I could care less who knew about our marriage, but Lori knew that a lot of people didn't like him as a teacher and she would prefer if they didn't know that not only was he her father, but I was her mother.

When I finally headed down the long hall, I couldn't help but notice the difference in the way they looked at me in comparison to my husband. They gave him cold, icy glares or just ignored him completely out of fear. I, on the other hand, was greeted with warm smiles and sometimes, "Hello, Professor!" from one of the few students who were eager to get an education. It bothered me a little that no one really liked Sevi, especially that they had no problem showing it. It reminded me of my years when I was in school when everyone found out that I was pregnant with his baby. I realized as I took that walk that not only were we keeping the relationship a secret for Lori's benefit, but for mine as well. It made me feel like a terrible person. I shouldn't be ashamed of my partner. I wasn't, really, I just didn't like the feeling that everyone disliked him so much. And I remembered those terrible looks I got in the hallways back in school and I didn't want them to come back.

Sevi sat down on the other end of the table. I sat a few seats away from Dumbledore, as I had in years previous. It was the beginning of any other year.

The beginning of any other year, my ass.


End file.
